This invention relates in general to liquid treatment and, more particularly, to a chemical feeder for use in a system for treating liquid circulating therethrough.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus for the automatic provision of treatment material to liquid circulating systems, such as those for potable water, for swimming pools, and the like, wherein the liquid of the system serves as a solvent for the treatment material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feeder for use in a liquid circulating system adapted to present treatment material to the liquid to be treated in order that the system may have a preselected concentration of the material within a most substantial broad range of concentration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a feeder of the type stated which may be readily integrated into existing liquid circulating systems without requiring costly modification thereof and which feeder is unique in being a self-contained entity for adapting its introduction into such existing systems.
One particular usage of the present invention is with swimming pools for the purpose of maintaining the water therein at a certain level of chlorination for the safety of the pool users.
Heretofore there have been numerous efforts at developing apparatus for introducing chlorine into swimming pools from a chlorinating unit wherein the water is caused to flow through a container of a solid compound, such as one containing available chlorine, for instance, calcium hypochlorite, trichloro-s-triazinetrione, and the like, and with the developing solution being circulated within the particular system. However, since the height of the level of water within the treatment material containing unit determines the concentration of the formed solution, there has been a constant problem in this field of requisite control of such level to bring about the desired concentration. Various prior art patents demonstrating containers for such compounds include the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Pickering 492,631; Sevcik 1,409,248; Tepas 2,738,323; Leslie 2,820,701; and Walker 3,145,087 as well as the patent to King et al 3,390,695. As a study of these earlier efforts will reveal the primary thrust had been directed at causing the water to be introduced within the compound-containing vessel at a point coincident with the level desired for the preselected concentration. Consequently, certain complex controls were required to cause the water introducing or distributor head to be so located and which arrangement in practice would not permit of either a relatively precise control of the resultant concentration or produce the capacity for a relatively wide range of constantly measurable concentration. Furthermore, a study of the art does not reveal any structures permitting of what could be considered as amounting to a superchlorination, that is, wherein the level of introduced fluid could achieve coincidence with or exceed the uppermost layer of the chemical.
The present invention is so uniquely constructed that the solvent, or water in this case, is introduced beneath the chemical supply and permitted to rise upwardly therethrough or, as it were, "back" through the supply of solute.
The present invention additionally, by reason of the provision of the novel path of flow of the solvent permits of a concentration or, chlorination rate in this case, which has not been heretofore obtainable by prior art developments and which feature is promoted by a vertically adjutable weir, the location of the upper end of which is so correlated with the scale as to produce the selected solution rate.
Furthermore, the present invention is quite distinct from the prior art in incorporating an enlarged substantially nonvertically adjustable weir which allows for a maximum concentration of the solute. The feeder provided by the present invention permits of a selectivity of operation between finely controlled concentration levels and a substantially super-saturation level, which selectivity has no counterpart in the prior art.
Additionally, the present feeder is so constructed and with the various components so related so that in the event of any unforeseen interference with the smooth operation thereof, a readily determinable visual condition is caused as by the limited over-flow or "weeping" of the solution through a joint within the system so as to immediately signal to the user the existence of a critical condition requiring immediate rectification.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a feeder of the type stated which is composed of a limited number of highly durable components adapted for ease of integration and permitting of disposition within the preselected of two basic modes of operation without requiring the exercise of skill on the part of the user.
The present invention is also unique in embodying a flow meter which promotes quick visual determination by the operator as to the approximate rate of flow of incoming fluid so that the chosen rate may be maintained with less than limited difficulty.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a chemical feeder for use in liquid circulating systems which may be most economically manufactured, being amenable to high volume production; which incorporates unique controls which are simply manipulated; which is easily handled by the average individual for home swimming pool usage; which is peculiarly designed for rapid integration within existing systems incorporating the usual skimmers, pumps and filters; and which is extremely durable and reliable in usage.